Padres' Musgrove fractures toe in weight room accident
The San Diego Padres might have to start the season without their ace.
All-Star right-hander Joe Musgrove fractured his left big toe in a weight room accident on Monday, the team announced, according to AJ Cassavell of MLB.com.
Manager Bob Melvin told reporters that Musgrove sustained the injury when he dropped a kettlebell on his toe, according to 97.3 The Fan. There's no firm timetable for Musgrove's return, although Melvin said he'll be shut down from throwing for at least the next couple of weeks, presumably putting his Opening Day status in jeopardy.
"It's kinda tough to forecast when you have a broken toe. It's gonna be more about how it heals," Melvin said. "And certainly, if it's a pain tolerance thing, Joe would be one of those guys who would be sooner (rather) than later, but obviously we have to evaluate how he's feeling every day."
His absence, however long it might be, leaves a gigantic hole in the Padres' rotation. San Diego was planning to use a six-man rotation to start the year, with potential swingmen Michael Wacha, Nick Martinez, and Seth Lugo working behind a formidable trio of Musgrove, Yu Darvish, and Blake Snell.
If a six-man rotation remains the plan without Musgrove, San Diego will likely have to rely on minor-league depth to fill his spot. Some potential starting options currently on the club's 40-man roster include Brent Honeywell Jr., Jay Groome, Ryan Weathers, and Reiss Knehr. Non-roster invitees who could win a spot with strong spring performances include former All-Star Julio Teheran and veteran Wilmer Font, who's returning from a stint overseas.
Musgrove is coming off a career-best 2022 season that saw him post a 2.93 ERA, 3.59 FIP, and 1.08 WHIP with 184 strikeouts across 30 regular-season starts for the Padres. He also came up big in the playoffs, tossing seven shutout innings in Game 3 of the Friars' NL wild-card series against the New York Mets.
The 30-year-old, who grew up in the San Diego area, signed a five-year, $100-million extension with his hometown team last summer.